HIGH ROAD AND. BY-ROAD

Waikato Times, Volume 125, Issue 20923, 30 September 1939, Page 27 (Supplement)

HIGH ROAD AND. BY-ROAD

- A COLUMN FOR MOTORISTS

DRIVING AND MAINTENANCE HINTS FOR WOMEN DRIVERS The woman who drives her own car, and must see to it herself that it is maintained in efficient running order, is likely to be a little bewildered regarding its requirements, until experience makes her wise in its demands and appetites. The instruction book supplied with eveiy new car details very completely the things that must be done periodically, but many cars are purchased second-hand and it is rare indeed to find a used car accompanied by this essential part of the equipment. As a general guide, therefore, the following may prove helpful. The car must be greased, and the engine oil drained, and replaced with fresh, every 1000 miles. Once a fortnight the battery must be examined and topped up with distilled water. This is most important, because the efficiency erf the whole of the electrical system depends upon the condition of the battery, which will break down if this service is neglected for any length of time.

As soon as the brake pedal almost touches the floorboards when the brakes are applied hard, at once have the brakes adjusted, because this is a sign that an excessive amount of wear has taken place, and a warning that very soon they will fail to respond at all in an emergency. Necessary Overhauls ( The valves should be ground in and ■ the carbon cleaned out of the engine at least every 10,000 miles. No woman, of course, will attempt to carry out any of this work herself, but she must have some idea when to instruct the service station she deals . with to carry out these essential | jobs. On the question of gearbox j and back-axle lubrication, she can 1 seek advice there, because cars vary a good deal in their requirements in i this direction. Women are involved in fewer accidents than men in proportion to their numbers, perhaps because they are ! by nature much more cautious. I It is possible, however, unwittingly : to enter a comer much too fast, due i to the deceptive manner in which a good modem car will run easily at a speed which is far higher than the driver supposes. As a bend is approached, the speed l of the car should be slackened, and then, as the comer is entered, the | car accelerated, so that the engine is j pulling right through the comer. By j using this method there is practij cally no risk of trying to negotiate | the bend too fast. Of equal import - j ance is that more control of a car is | possessed when the engine is pulling I than when it is running on the | “over-run” with the throttle closed. Technique of Cornering j It is much better to negotiate a I main-road bend in a series of short, | straight runs than by following the curve with the steering wheel set in j the one position. I It should be obvious that a car will I be much more stable when the front wheels are pointing straight ahead than when they are at an angle. It is when the latter condition is held for any length of time, and the car is moving fast, that skidding occurs. So, take your comer on acceleration and keep the front wheels straight as much as possible, twitching the wheel to bring the car round, rather th&n holding it motionless in a position to keep the front wheels at ; a constant angle. ' By doing this, it will be found that j the car will be more accurately con- | trolled and, into the bargain, it will j feel very much safer. And, surprisj ing as it may seem, the method deI scribed is the fastest way of comerj ing known. CLOSE TRAILING A SOURCE OF DANGER 1 Every motor-driver knows that to avoid hitting the motor vehicle ahead , should it slow down, he must have I time to operate his brakes. That is, Ihe must maintain a certain time space, depending upon how quick he is in applying the brakes. To watch the manner in which many motorists travel at a fair speed, ! closely trailing another automobile, it is very evident that many motordrivers never give a thought to the time-spacing factor. It is no uncommon sight to see a car trailing another when travelling at 30 m.p.h., with less than 15 feet separating the vehicles, thereby creating a danger hazard should the front driver suddenly apply his brakes. The average driver takes from three-quarters to one second to reach his brakes, according to traffic conditions. At 30 m.p.h. a car travels 44 feet in one second—approximately three car lengths—while the driver’s foot is reaching the brake pedal and applying brakes. To stop a car from a speed of 30 m.p.h. the average car would not stop in much under 70 feet, say 35 feet for reaction time and 35 feet to pull up. Seventy feet is about five car lengths. Yet many drivers are foolhardy enough to travel at 30 m.p.h. and even faster with less than half that space between the front of their machine and the rear bumper bar of the car being followed. This practice is responsible for quite a fair percentage of the crumpled mudguards which today disfigure so many cars. CONTROL RODS Watch the control rods. More than one case of trouble has been met with lately in which throttle controls have come loose, allowing the motor to race. This is very dangerous, and drivers should immediately switch off, engage neutral, and pull up. One popular six, when worn or loose, will in some cases, and due to end movement in the shaft, lock the throttle-lever under the water jacket on the carburettor side, preventing closing of the throttle. All split pins and ball-joints should be periodically examined, all joints lubricated, 1 and pull-off spring checked for tension. End play in shafting is unsafe. Replace excessively worn controlI joints and ball-ends.